Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-03-04
Spring Time O Year UOmlng
HoTBEDs AND HOW TO PREPARE THEM-GAR-
DEN SEED AND SOWING WHY FARMERS
FAIL AS GARDENERS.
American Cultivation.

The time is now at hand for putting in
heat hotbeds for early vegetables, such as
lettuce, cabbage, and little later for to-
matoes. The best heat for good hotbed
is fresh horsedung, from stable where
at least fifteen horses are kept, so that a
load of it can be obtained while fresh. If
this can be conveniently mixed with an
equal bulk of forest leaves well moisten-
ed, or with waste hops from some brew
cry, it will make a more certain AID en-
during heat.
If the beds were put in order as direct
ed in these columns last November, there
will be little trouble now in digging out
the loan 30 the depth of two feet from
the top of the frame. In the pit thus
formed put in heat to the dept of
ten or twelve inches, treading it down
firmly as forked in, and then spread over
1t six to ten inches of the loan thrown
out. Try the bed with 4 thermometer
after placing on the glass, and after day
or two, if the temperature of the loan an
inch before the surface Is at so to 60 de-
grees, it will be right to SOW seed. If hot
ter than this it will hardly be safe to SOW
seed, unless the bed is aired very fire.
quently are destroyed by too much heat.
If too hot the heat will subside in a few
days by airing.
Ea-ly lettuce and cabbage see ID should
be sowu by Eel 10 to Is; the plants will
need transplanting, about 200 per sash,
a month later, say March 10, into quite
cold bed, but not entirely cold, that is,
it should have very gentle bottom heat,
such as is to be found in an old hotbed
from which has just been taken a crop
of lettuce or radishes. Radish seed, also,
of the French breakfast and long scarlet
varieties, are sown upon a very mild heat
If an old bed Is not at hand the m lid
heat Is produced by using about six to
eight inches of fresh manure covered
with ten inches of loan. The heat of
the bed is regulated by the proportion of
depth given to the manure and loan used
over 1t; and, as will be observed, is less
than half what is usually recommended
when the bed is built above
the surface of the grouEd-s method
very troublesome and well calculated to
disgust whoever tries it, with the cons
tant necessity of watering and airing to
say nothing of the greater risk of having
the glass smashed by gusts of wind when
raised high above the surface of the
ground. Such beds are never seen when
the garden Is run for profit, but only in
the hands of the comparatively ignorant
amateur of gentlemaI's gardener.
The seed of tomatoes, cucumbers. egg
plants and peppers will require warmer
bed than the comparative hardy lettuce,
etc. For this purpose use more heat, at
least twelve inches and less loom, four to
six inches, and the thermometer should
indicete in the loom COS to 15e to make
them come quickly. These tender seeds
are not usually sown before March 1, and
in case of severe weather will need close
covering. The worst weather is a snow
storm, when if not carefully aired and
handled the plants are often lost. Cover
with shutters over th3 mats when cold: if
the bed works warm give little air even
at night, unless the weather is very severe
and windy. At night it is enough to place
a lath fiat wise under every third sash at
the north side. If the bed should not be
above So il will not need airing at all by
night, and by bright sunlight the plants
will, bear a temperature of 10e or 15e
higner than at night. Try to keep the